Monday, November 23, 2009

Other than my short stint as a resident of New York City, I've never lived in a city with a "signature" food. I'm talking about claim-to-fame level: cheese steaks from Philadelphia, coffee from Seattle, Hatch chiles from New Mexico. These Nanaimo Bars are the ultimate signature food, from beautiful Nanaimo, British Columbia on Vancouver Island in Canada.

Nanaimo bars are a rich, decadent, 3-layer, no-bake treat. The bottom crust layer is chocolate, graham cracker crumbs, almonds, and coconut. I'm not sure if this is heresy (Canadian friends? Thoughts?), but I added 1/2 cup of Heath toffee bits to the bottom layer too. Next time I'd add even more, I'm crazy about the stuff. The middle layer is a creamy vanilla custard, and the top is a thin layer of solid chocolate.

These bars are ubiquitous in Canada. It's unfathomable that anyone might not have heard of them. Here in the U.S., it's a completely different story. I had to sheepishly ask how to pronounce the name (Nah-Nye-Moh), and of the dozens of people I served these to, almost none had heard of them either. I'm puzzled by this disparity, and it's now my official mission to let every American I know in on one of Canada's best-kept secrets!

Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, nuts, and toffee if using. Press firmly into an ungreased 8" x 8" pan.

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer. Chill in refrigerator for several hours before cutting and serving. Cut into small pieces, they're rich!

I'm a proud British Columbian and I don't think there is anything wrong with having the Heath bits in the bottom layer.... although we don't have Heath bars in BC (I think it is like Skor?)... I'm going to grab some Heath bars when I am in Seattle next weekend and try making Nanaimo bars like this! They truly are delicious!!!

Remember when you discovered garlic soup and suddenly were seeing it everywhere? The last few days have been like that for me with Nanaimo bars. I first heard about them via your Twitter feed. Then I saw them mentioned somewhere else. Then yesterday a couple of the actors were Canadian, so they started talking about Nanaimo bars. One of them was actually from Nanaimo!

I don't know why my boyfriend never told me about them (he went to school for two years on Vancouver Island, and apparently he's familiar with them), but now that I know, I'm going to make them soon!

I actually heard about these recently, but I can't remember where -- maybe on another blog. I remember being tempted by them then, and now I'm definitely tempted by them again especially with your addition of Heath toffee bits. They sound heavenly!

Nanaimo bars are my absolute favorite treat! If you ever head to Niagara-on-the-lake (canadian side of Niagara Falls) the bakeries there make HUMONGOUS ones. (Like, four inches to a side. Nom.)

You can also add things to the creme in the middle if you like variety. I've made cherry nanaimos with maraschino cherries in the creme, orange ones with cointreau and candied orange peel, and mint ones with creme de menthe (definitely my favorite.) Have fun! :)

While I live in Texas, my mother is Canadian, but we always called these treats New York Specials. It's a tradition to have them around Christmas time. I always beg my mother to make them, the cream middle I make is always too soft. I'll have to tell her about adding Heath bars, she'll love that idea.

I live in British Columbia and have been making these since I was a kid. I've been putting the Skor chips in the crust and sprinkling them over the chocolate top for about 3 years....but the best part is I make them at Christmas with Bailey's Irish Cream and Frangelico liqueurs. Simply eliminate the milk/cream from the middle filling and replace with your favorite liqueur. Cheers :o)

I make these for my family all the time. I have a regular following of people that love these. My mother taught me to make this lovely treat when I was a young lad. The only thing that I noticed was the choice of nuts. I use pecans or walnuts. I also have a sister in Canada that sends me my custard powder when I run out. My have to try the pudding instead and see how that goes with my taste testers.

Been looking at these long enough, going to try them this weekend...but I may try your peanut variation! And I absolutely agree with you, as a Native New Mexican who has been all over, that Hatch green chile is infamous and I'm so happy to be home!! we'll see if I'm jealous of those Canadians this time next week :)

I have to say this is not the only treat from canada that americans go "huh what?" when you say the name ... try Poutine (Pooteen). I have met many an american friend who had no CLUE what this dish is. French fries, gravy (I have had beef and chicken, both taste good) and cheese curds (some places use shredded cheese, but you need curds for it to be Right)

I worked in Montreal for a while (I'm Irish) and one of my collegues - my authority on all things Canadian brought these into work one day. I think they were minty in the middle. I'll always be grateful to him. I embraced many Canadian customs, but I never managed the poutine. Not too surprising since I've also passed on the fine Irish custom of curried/ gravy chip usually eaten at the end of a beer-filled night out.

So now that I've got an actual recipe for the Nanaimo bars, I'm off to make some for myself. Brings back memories..

Just stumbled across this. I grew up 1 hour North of Nanaimo and my mom and grandma made Nanaimo bars every Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. I just assumed they were part and parcel of the whole turkey dinner thing and that the name was just a coincidence. I feel sad knowing that not everyone has heard of them! Spread the word!

I just stumbled across this. I grew up an hour north of Nanaimo and my mom and grandma made Nanaimo bars every Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. I just assumed they were part and parcel of the whole turkey dinner thing and that the name was just a coincidence. I can't believe people are going around living their lives not having heard of these! Spread the word!

Nanaimo Bars are so much a part of Canadian traditions that we have jokes about them. "If you eat a frozen one, there are no calories." I convinced some US friends that "nanaimo" is a native word meaning "no calories". You haven't had a real one though until it is made with Bird's Custard Powder Mix produced in the UK. Vanilla powder is just not the same. Sorry.